Copper-refining furnace.



PATENTED MAR. 12, 190'7 COPPER RE N0. 846,891. PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

. .R. BAGGALEY.

COPPER REFIN-ING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8. 1905.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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No.846,891. v PATENTED MAR.12, 1907.

R. BAGGALEY. COPPER REPINING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8. 1905.

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RALPH BAGGALEY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

COPPER-REFINING FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 12, 1907.

Original application filed May'l, 1905, Serial No. 258,152. Divided andthis application filed August 8, 1905. Serial No. 273.246.

To all whmn it .may concern.-

Be it known that I, RALPH BAGGALEY, of Pittsburg, Allegheny county,Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Copper- Refining Furnace,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which- Figure l is a vertical cross-section on theline I I of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal cross-section onthe line II II of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing theinlet for hydrocarbons and the power mechanism for tilting the furnace.

My present application is a division of an application, Serial No.258,152, filed by me on May 1, 1905. One of its objects is to make itpossible to refine copper in small batches, and especially to refine itin batches as produced by an oxidizing-converter.

In the apparatus shown in the drawings the temperature of the moltenbath may be maintained as long as desired and throughout the act ofpouring to a point where the congealing of the bath is impossible. Thepouring-lip of the apparatus is always .open and free and hot.Consequently the bath cannot solidify upon it. During the act of pouringthe vessel is tilted by machinery to any desired degree and until afterthe refined copper has been completely discharged from the vessel.

As shown in the drawings, the furnace is made of heavy metal blocks orsegments 5, preferably not less than eighteen inches in thickness, andhas a lining 6, preferably made of silica bricks, say four and one-halfinches in thickness. The thickness of the metal blocks is greater thanor at least equal to the thickness of the lining. The object of thisconstruction is to form a heavy wall that will absorb and conserve theinternal heat practically without metal losses from saturation and thatwill not dissipate such heat, as may be the case where 'a water-jacketis used. Owing to the extreme tendency of molten copper to congeal, thisfeature is of importance and will commend itself to those skilled in theart. The intention is to make the silica lining relatively as small aproportion of the wall and the metal blocks as large a proportion of itas possible, to the end that the saturation of the internal lining withcopper, gold, and silver will be very small when compared with thesaturation that now prevails in all existing forms of refiningfurnaceswhose walls are composed of great masses of brick or plastic refractoryand Whose bottoms are usually composed of crushed silica or of arefractory material of some kind. In this furnace owing to the retardinginfluence of the 1 heavy metal blocks that back up the silica lining onall sides the travel of values from the molten bath will usually notexceed one and onequarter inches into the interior substance of thesilica brick. Sometimes it will be less. I have never known it to exceedone and one-half inches. will not only retain the heat, but it will lastalmost indefinitely without repairs, because of the absence of iron inthe bath, which alone seriously attacks the acid lining. The slightsaturation as above described of the interior surface of the silica wallseems to have the effect of prolonging the life of the lining almostindefinitely. Indeed, this saturation accomplishes in a measure theautomatic repair of the internal surface should this become fractured.

7 represents the cover or top of the refining-furnace, and it'may belined, if preferred, either with brick or with plastic material. Iprefer to make it of heavy metal, as shown in the drawings, and to useit entirely without lining of any description. In this form it becomespractically indestructible, and I have found that the heavy mass ofmetal will absorb and conserve the internal heat and Will not seriouslydissipate it through radiation on the outside surface, providing it bemade of suflicient thickness to insure this result.

8 represents an adjustable stack that may closely connect with thissolid metal top and which is preferably arranged to cover or to recedefrom it.

9 in Figs. 2 and 3 represents means for tipping the vessel, similar tothat often used on converters. The object in tipping the vessel is tothrow the hydrocarbon-gas twyers 12 down under the molten bath whenintroducing reducing-gases and to regulate the depth of such twyers andtheir position under the bath at will. In like manner it may be utilizedto raise the twyers above the level of the molten bath. The tipping ofthe furnace is also utilized in receiving the molten charge and at thecompletion of the refining process in pouring the bath into cathodes,plates,

labs, or whatever form may be desired. The same opening is preferablyutilized in A wall of this construction ITO receiving the molten chargeinto the furnace that is used in pouring it after it has been refined.The bath. may, however, be introduced at the end door 10, if desired, byswinging the oil or gas jet 11 away from it. Usually this opening shouldbe kept closed in order to prevent the escape of heat while work is inprogress.

illustrates the metal-plate door in one end of the vessel, which may beswung aside with the burner when it is desired to practice hand-polingwith hardwood poles. By simply tipping the refining-furnace to a pointwhere the gas-twyers will be safely above the level of the molten bathhand-poling can be done. event of any derangement in the hydrocarbon-gasplant in procuring a supply of ligneous material, &c.

11 illustrates a hydrocarbon-gas burner which is preferably mounted onhinged pipes either above or at one side of the furnace. When thegas-burner is turned into position for operation, the pipe carries withit the plate-door 10, Fig. 2, at one end of the furnace in order toprevent the escape of gases and of the internal heat. Then thisgas-burner is not in use, the opening may be closed by a supplementaryhinged door (not shown), or other means. The gas-burner may be utilizedin heating the interior of the furnace to incandescence before thereception of the molten copper that is to be refined. The effect of thisincandescence is to immediately increase the heat and the fluidity ofthe molten bath. Thereafter the oil or gas jet may be used inmaintaining the heat of the bath to any desired extent and for anydesired period. This heat may be increased at will to a silver-whiteincandescence and is sufficient to melt any ordinary metals or oresquickly.

In refining copper by the method disclosed in my United States PatentNo. 746,246, issued December 8, 1903, or by the hand-poling process 1preferably cover the molten bath with a layer of powdered charcoal orwith carbon in some form in order to prevent the copper from absorbingsuboxid from the atmosphere. My present inven- This feature may beuseful in the tion may be utilized in practicing the art disclosed inSerial No. 263,393, filed June 5, 1905, for a method of refining copper,by Ralph Baggaley, Charles M. Allen, and Edward W. Lindquist, by theaddition of suitable attachments to the wind-box. When so used, it willgenerally be unnecessary to provide this extraneous covering or carbon,because the process itself will automatically supply the same.

Doubtless many modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled inthe art without departing from. the spirit of my inven tion, since WhatI claim is 1. A copper-refining furnace having a metal exterior of athickness to retain the internal heat of the furnace, and an acid liningthin enough to reduce saturation thereof.

2. A copper-refining furnace having a metallic body and liningproportioned in thickness. to retain the internal heat within thefurnace and to reduce saturation of the lining.

3. A copper-refining furnace having a metallic body and a non-metalliclining, said body being thick enough to retain the internal heat of thefurnace.

4. A copper-refining furnace having a metallic body and liningproportioned in thickness to retain the internal heat of the furnace andto reduce saturation of the lining, and a burner for supplying heat tothe interior of the furnace.

5. A copper-refining furnace comprising a vessel having its longitudinalaxis disposed substantially horizontally and capable of rotating uponits longitudinal axis, the top of the vessel having a combined feed andpourout opening, and a burner projecting through one end of the vesselfor heating the interior of the furnace, the vessel consisting of ametallic body and a lining proportioned in thickness to retain theinternal heat of the furnace and to reduce saturation of the lining.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RALPH BAGGALEY. "Witnesses JOHN G. BROWN, WILLIAM M. KIRKPATRICK.

